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An eyewitness told CNN, "I was in my kitchen.. and I saw the plane hit the house behind my house. It was so low, I was ducking almost, then huge fireballs and I jumped out of the ... window of my house.

"I ran right across the street ... it's unbelievable," she said, overcome by emotion. "It sounded like two planes. It was flying too low, and then it hit. It was like a bomb exploded."

Another eyewitness, Phyllis Paul, who lives near the crash site, said a "big, silvery piece of metal" fell behind her house before the plane went down.

"I was sitting having breakfast, and I heard the engines very loud," she said. "They were loud and low, and because of what happened September 11, it gave me a chill. ... I looked out of the window to see if I could see where it was."

Paul said she got her 10-year-old son and left the house.

"I didn't hear an explosion at first when I saw the metal fall. I heard an explosion about a minute and a half later," she said.

nicky, the media cant get close enough to see exactly whats happening, but there have been no ambulances taken to the nearest hospital, could be a good thing (meaning no one on the ground injured), tho it could also mean the opposite.

I've been watching it on Sky News and I can hardly believe it. Whether it was terrorism or an accident doesn't change the fact that it's yet another tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of those who have lost their lives today.

Originally posted by Saz249 I've been watching it on Sky News and I can hardly believe it. Whether it was terrorism or an accident doesn't change the fact that it's yet another tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of those who have lost their lives today.

It is now confirmed that the American Airlines flight had 255 people including passengers and crew on board.

It left JFK airport headed to Santo Domingo and crashed shortly after takeoff, without having gained full altitude.

The engine on the right side of the plane fell off and fell separate from the fusilage landing in front of a gas station. There are pictures on TV of this. I heard an eye witness in the area say that where the engine fell and where the main parts of the fusilage fell were very close together. Others said that a part of the wing fell before the main crash. Others reported seeing fire prior to the engine falling.

It would appear that the report about an explosion on board might be premature. At any rate the "experts" are saying that an explosion due to mechanical failure is very much possible.

There were no communications between the crew and the ground or other planes in the air indicating trouble. Again, experts say this could be due to inability to communicate due to malfunctioning electronic equipment or that they simply did not have time to do so.

I too want to know about the people on the ground. A phone call from someone in the area said she had heard of no one on the ground being injured although she knew of one woman who was looking for her daughter.

Have heard no reports of people being treated at hospitals or ground fatalities. I view this as a good sign.

The latest report says that 4 houses have been destroyed and another 4-5 seriously damaged, and another 10 or so also damaged by falling debris. It's a residential homes area, not one with a lot of high rise apartments.

Tunnels and bridges are being reopened in New York and it's expected airline traffic to resume shortly. Only bridges to Queens area of crash remain closed. That may be one reason that reporters are not getting good information on whether there were any people on the ground that were hurt.

Although nothing is being ruled in or out at this point, you get the general feeling that early indications are pointing to mechanical failure of the aircraft. Of course that could change and evidence is gathered. It would be my guess that one the first thing thats they will look for will be evidence of explosives to rule sabotage in or out.

Sadly to say, where the crash occurred was an area that was home to an unusually high concentration of police and firefighters who lost their lives on September 11th. I can't imagine what the community must be experiencing now. My heart goes out to them. Their terror is all too real, whether it was an accident or the act of a terrorist.

Been thinking about something last week, that painfully sounds accurate of a question today: do you think the US will now re-develop their rail transportation network ? (that would be a good alternative for those who are now too scared to travel in planes...)

My tv is on the fritz and I just learned the news here. I'm lost for words except to say my thoughts and prayers are with the people of New York. Your courage and strength has set a precedence for this nation and possibly the world. Don't give up!